The packaging industry today is almost entirely automated. For manufacturers of packaged items an automated case packaging process is quicker, less expensive and safer than its manual counterpart.
A typical automated case packaging assembly includes a collator and/or feeder of items to be packaged, a case blank feed device, a case folding device, a case advance section and a compression area. The collator arranges the items to be packaged and transfers them to the folding area. At the same time, a case blank feed device pulls a flat pre-cut case blank from a stack of case blanks and transfers it to the folding device. The case blank is set in place and receives the items for packaging. The folding device folds the case blank around the items and transfers the case to the case advance section. The case advance section applies adhesive to the case and seals it. The case then enters the compression section where it is compressed either vertically or horizontally before it is stacked and prepared for shipping.
A vertically oriented compression arrangement is advantageous in that it provides compression to all surfaces of a case while horizontal case packaging provides compression only to the sides of a case. Thus a higher quality packed case results from a vertical compression process. Moreover, vertical compression requires less area within a case packaging plant, thereby decreasing the total floor space required for the case packaging operation. In addition, vertical compression is advantageous because it is compatible with most palletizer operations. Before shipping, cases are typically stacked onto pallets. This process (palletizing) is usually done by loading the cases onto the top of the palletizer, thereby requiring the cases to enter at a higher elevation. With vertical compression, the cases enter at a low level and are discharged at a higher level, so the compatibility of the vertical compression arrangement with a palletizer operation simplifies the case packaging operation.
A typical vertical compression unit includes a vertically oriented compression tower, a means for receiving the sealed case from the case advance section, a means for moving the sealed case to the bottom of the stack of cases, and a means for elevating the case from a first level to a second level.
During the case packaging operation, there may be over fifty cases stacked on top of each other within the compression tower. Before a different type or size of product enters the case packaging operation, it is preferable to clear the remaining cases within the assembly line so the products and/or batches remain separated. It is also common to clear the assembly line during shift changes. To clear the assembly line, the entire operation is shut down and the cases within the compression tower are removed. In the past, removal of the cases within the compression tower was done by manually removing each case. This procedure was time consuming and hazardous. Because manual removal is time consuming, money is lost due to the lack of productivity of the assembly line.
Manual removal of the case is also unsafe and injurious to worker's health. Most compression towers are constructed eight to twelve feet in height. Many accidents have occurred when workers try to unload the cases at the top of the stack without having proper support or having to climb on and around machinery not designed for human support. Previous tower compression units have been designed so that the cases within the stack are not readily accessible. Thus, the only way to remove the cases has been by manually picking them off of the top of the stack or pulling them from the bottom of the stack. Either method of removal requires considerable physical effort and tends to injure many workers.
Additionally, damage to machinery often occurs when workers use the machinery for support while unloading cases within the tower. Due to the lack of accessibility of previously designed compression towers, mechanical repairs or replacement of parts have been difficult to accomplish and require considerable down time, which have resulted in lost productivity and, consequently, lost profits.
Thus, there is a need in the case packaging industry for a tower compression unit that quickly purges the remaining cases within a case packaging assembly thereby minimizing down time and maximizing productivity.
There is a further need for a compression tower that automatically purges the remaining cases from a compression tower without requiring the use of manual labor.
There is yet a further need for a tower compression unit that is readily accessible for repair or replacement of parts.